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Halloween Pumpkin Design, by Georgia Martin, 12, of Great Falls, Grade 7 at Cooper Middle, Art Teacher: Nadene Wright

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Children’s & Teens’ Connection

March 13, 2020

The morning of March 13 started almost the same as any other Friday in 2020. Some-thing was different, though. Maybe we could all sense the news we would find out later that day. It was a weird feeling, like being close to figuring out some sort of mystery. Yet I still couldn’t have guessed what would happen by the end of the day, let alone what would happen for the entire year.

I sat at my desk in my sixth grade classroom as the after-noon sun shone through the blinds. I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard my teacher’s composed but anxious voice informing our class that our school would be shut down for two weeks. My whole class was looking glancing around the room, most of them with the same worried, apprehen-sive look as me: How big of an impact could Covid have on us?

If I could talk to my young-er self, all I could do would be to tell her of the upcom-ing months. But would I even want to do that? Distill fear and confirm the worst to my already-stressed self on March 13?

If I really did get a chance to talk to my younger self, I would warn her: To be careful, wear a mask, and be prepared to face multiple cancellations and ruined plans. I would ask her to help out: Maybe sew masks, or donate hand sanitizer, because I wish I could’ve done more in the first few months of quarantine. But

lastly, I would tell her to be brave. To remember that this next year will be hard, but to keep my head up. And most importantly, I would tell her that I would survive 2020.

— Paige A. Poulos, 12, Grade 7, Teacher: Lindsay Bovenzi

By Jihan Matthews, Grade 8, Rocky Run Middle School.

Santa Silhouette, by Arnav Khetarpal, Grade 6, Lemon Road Elementary, Art Teacher Ms. Norton

COVID-19As a drop of red pigmentTurns a bucket of water into a red riverA single case of COVID-19Turns the whole world upside downLike a bird trapped in a cageLike a hamster running on a wheelWe feel hopeless and lonelyWe talk to ourselves in the mirrorWe wear mask to hide our fearsWe scream silently for helpButThere is a light at the end of the tunnelPeace and calm are waiting for usLet’s pray and hopeChanging tears into laughtersNo matter what happensWe will find our wayWe will survive

— Ina Chung, 17, of McLean, junior at Bishop O’Con-nell High School ] in Arlington.

Tons of Feelings In memory of my aunt who passed away a couple months ago.

By Cassandra Kuebler/McLean/Grade 6

All of these feelings, trapping meAnd they’re always the opposite of gleeLonely, sad, broken, madWhy are people sick?Why do people die?Does God somehow pick?Why do I cry?Are they really gone?Why can’t I go?Why can’t we just respawn?Having feelings doesn’t make me growOr do they?Is it bad?Stay, just please stayIt’s a broken down want-adAsking me to realize realityBut all these emotions make me beastlyI can’t control them, or myselfI wish I could toss ‘em back on the shelfABORT! When they attack, for everything I lackSo support me when I crack, and then take me backBut I got tons of feelings, and somehow I surviveYeah, I got tons of feelings, and it makes me thrive

Christmas It’s not about the things around youor where you might be.Christmas is all about family.Eggnog, ham, turkey, anything on a platternone of those things matter.Family and friends are what are important.Not the presents galoreall spread out on the floor. That’s what Christmas is for. — Zuleika Patterson, McLean, Grade 3, Spring Hill

Elementary, Teacher: Mrs. Boswell


Spring Hill Elementary


Cunningham Park Elementary

Wish You Were Here: California, Postcard Collage by Grade 3 Student Maria De Luigi

Who Am I: Present – “I Love to Hang with My BFFs” Collage by Grade 6 Student Brook Somerville

Who Am I: Present – “My present is me sitting at my laptop while the world turns behind me,” Collage by Grade 6 Student Casey AbbottBy Noor Naffa, 8, McLean, Grade 3, Spring Hill

Elementary, Teacher: Nicole BoswellBy Swara Chaudhari, 8, Spring Hill Elementary, McLean

Half Full, by Grace Fitzger-ald of McLean, Age: 12, Grade: 6, Spring Hill Elementary, Art teacher: Dorothy Moon.

By Shveta Sunkar, McLean, Age: 12, Grade: 6, Spring Hill Elementary, Teacher: Cecilia Smith

My Gingerbread House, by Raina Ailani, KG, Spring Hill Elementary School, Teacher Ms. Gore Ashe.

Best Friends, by Jaya Bali of McLean, Grade 5, Spring Hill Elementary, Teacher: Samantha Fitz-simmons.


The pages of the Connection (in-cluding the Alexandria Gazette Packet, the Mount Vernon Ga-zette, the Potomac Almanac and

the Centre View) are usually full of holiday spirit, beginning before Thanksgiving. While in this, the year of COVID, the year 2020, a year like no other, the holidays have been muted in so many ways. Still we have cel-ebrated help for the needy whose numbers have expanded with the pandemic; collect-ing toys and warm coats for children who might not otherwise receive them; holiday celebrations, concerts and performances via Zoom; socially distanced Santa, tree light-ings; stories of giving; the Virtual Nutcrack-er; and more.

And still, Christ-mas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. Whether you believe the Christmas story lit-erally or in spirit, you know it is the story of joy, hope and love, with the promise of redemp-tion. In this holiday of 2020, like no other as we keep saying, we need the Christmas story in whatever way we can ac-cess it.

Christmas is also about embracing the teachings of Jesus: to love thy neighbor as thyself; to help the needy; to feed the hun-gry and clothe the poor; to care for those who are sick; to invite and welcome strang-ers; to treat others as you would have them treat you. These teachings have deep mean-ing and consequence for us right now.

Matthew 7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you

would have them do to you.”

Matthew 25:35-40: “For I was hungry and you gave me some-

thing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

SO SHARE the verse relating the birth of Je-sus from the Bible, Luke 2: 4-19:

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David.) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

“And there were in the same country, shep-herds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel

of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

“For unto you is born this day in the

city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

— Mary [email protected]

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Merry ChristmasEditorial

Whether you embrace the Christmas story literally or in spirit, it is the story of joy, hope and love, with the promise of redemption.

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Great Falls

Artwork by Linna Liu, 6, of McLean, Kindergarten, Spring Hill Elementa-ry, Teacher: Mrs. Burns


I stood in this very spot, four years earlier, grasping my moth-er’s hand, watching the bustling city. People rushed around me. My attention shifted to the crowded street. Colors flew by, and I could smell the scent of fast food trucks, ones that were lined up on the sides of the street, the street that was home to the first black presi-dent in US history.

As I stand in that very spot to-day, I see the bright flash of this distant memory; I look around me. I see a few stands selling t-shirts, hats, flags, all marked with the same slogan. The streets are strik-ingly bare, and the only colors here are the bright yellow letters that have been painted onto the tarred, black street. The letters that go up the street to the fence that marks the edge of the president’s home, a new president who helped inspire these words.

Those letters spell a statement that not just the president needs to hear. They spell the injustice that George Floyd experienced, and

countless others. They were paint-ed onto this street for most of the worldwide shut down. Proof that the world is still fighting for just, free, equal lives, even in the face of a widespread disease that has wiped out 2 million of the world’s population.

This disease is new, scary, and is happening now. So, no, there are not going to be busy crowded streets for a long time, the grocery store might not have enough sup-plies, and the world will never be the same. But that does not mean we can stop fighting for what’s right. Each person only has around 70 years to live at best. We need to make sure everyone can live those years in equality, making sure that George Floyd’s death is not in vain, that these painted words are more than just a slogan on a t-shirt or a hat. We have to fight for what is right, and always remember that Black Lives Matter.

— Zosia Henryson-Gibbs, 12, of Springfield,

Grade 7, Cooper Middle

The World Will Never be the Same

I look outside my window; rain pouring, grey unfriendly clouds swept across the gloomy sky. I wake up and get ready for school in a rush because I slept in, like always.

As I arrive at the bus stop, I see a peak of yellow through the dark green evergreen trees. It’s the bus.

I hop onto the bus and I am greeted by my bus driver. She has platinum blonde hair and wears purple glasses and somehow al-ways has the biggest smile on her face. I find it very shocking how she hasn’t quit her job yet even though she drives a bus with the most annoying first graders I have ever met.

I end up getting to school as the school bell rings loud enough to damage your eardrums and the morning announcements blast through the long, boring, hallway.

After five dreadful periods go by, it’s finally the end of the day.

When I walk into the gym I see stu-dents from all different ages and backgrounds lined up with their backpacks in 8 different single-file lines, anxiously waiting to leave school.

When I get onto the bus, I hear everyone talk about some sort-of virus called the coronavirus and how it might cancel school for a couple of weeks.

I don’t know a lot about it but I think to myself that it probably won’t matter and even if we did get school off it will only be for two weeks and then we will be back. I mean how bad could this COVID-19 virus be? It’s not like it will be the end of the world.

66 million COVID-19 cases, over eight months in quarantine, and more than 1 million 500 deaths later, I regret saying those words.

— Sarah Bade,12, of Great Falls,

Grade 7, Cooper Middle

The Day Everything Changed


Halloween Pumpkin Design, by Georgia Martin, 12, of Great Falls, Grade 7 at Cooper Middle, Art Teacher: Nadene Wright

By Nikta Sarani, 13, of Great Falls, Grade 7, Cooper Middle School: This photo represents how my family and I celebrate Christmas. For Christmas, my family and I put up decorations, and on Christmas day we open presents together.

By Nikhil Natarajan,12, of McLean, Grade 7, Cooper Middle School: Since COVID has started, we have hung up sev-eral bird feeders in our backyard. During class, I have discovered we have visitors — these are tit-mice and they are always at my window feeder.

By Asiya Malik, of McLean, Grade 7, Cooper Middle School: In this picture, you see a girl running free through the creative motions of life. I am so grateful for all the creative freedom and assistance my parents and teach-ers have given me this year. This picture portrays the freedom and flexibility they give me and how easy it makes my school experience.



Remembering Times Before COVID-19Symanski Family Homeschool, Great Falls: Elizabeth Symanski - Age 10, Grade 5; Katherine Syman-ski - Age 8, Grade 3; Alexander Symanski - Age 4, Pre-K; Victoria Grace Symanski - Age 2, Preschool. Teacher: Andrea Symanski

2020 has been a year of firsts. A year of ups, and many many downs. We have witnessed history in the making. We have made our voices heard. We have persevered through all the hardships. We have shown that humanity is strong when we come together as one. This is a year of patience, change, and endur-ance.

As students in a virtual learning climate, we mainly have one goal, to succeed in an online environment. This can be challenging, from the technical difficulties to the eye strain. But we have been patient throughout this virtual year. We have learned to tolerate minor setbacks and use other resources to achieve our goals.

2020 will always be remembered as a year of bad things, but it will also be remembered as a year of change. People took to the streets, created hashtags, and made their voices heard. They stood up for their rights and other’s rights. So while this year may bring some unpleasant memories to mind, it also has the scars of change and justice.

Endurance. This is an important trait. A trait that,

until now, most people didn’t have. It is the core of our resistance to quitting during this pandemic. It’s what’s holding our boredom, pain, and sadness, and keeps it from bursting into the world. Yet, it’s hard to imagine us surviving without it. Without this trait, we wouldn’t have been as productive as we were. We would have just sat around sulking, instead of using this time to solve problems, like creating a vaccine. If this pandemic has shown us anything it is that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.

While 2020 hasn’t been the best year, we certainly learned a lot. We learned how patience has helped us succeed not only in online learning but in the outside world too. We learned that if you keep fighting for change your voice will eventually be heard. And most importantly, we learned that endurance helps us solve problems during hard times. So even if you want this year to finally end, we should still remember all the lessons that we learned this year.

— Ismael Ahmed, 13, of Reston, Grade 7, Cooper Middle

2020: A Year of Patience, Change, and Endurance

Let’s face it. The coronavirus has ruined all of our lives.

Okay, okay. Maybe I’m exaggerating, but what I do know is that COVID-19 has flipped my world up-side-down.

One day I’m hunched over a tiny desk in my sixth-grade classroom, excitedly chatting with my friends, and the next day I’m stuck at home for who knows how long.

However, there has been one silver lining of being in quarantine: I get to spend more time with my fam-ily.

Ever since my sister started high school and got burdened with an overwhelming amount of home-

work and after-school activities, I haven’t been able to watch a single movie with my family during the busy school year.

Well, that’s one thing that has completely changed in 2020. Now, during the weekends, I spend my time snuggling with my family on the plush couch in our cozy living room, streaming immersive TV shows.

If there’s one lesson you learn from reading this, it’s to spend all the time you can with your loved ones. Especially in uncertain times like these, because any minute could be the last.

— Sophie Li, 12, Grade 7, Cooper Middle

Family Time

Student artwork submitted by Lauren Grimm (Art Teacher), Colvin Run Elementary

Colvin Run Elementary

Samhita Athreya of Vienna, Grade 2, Colvin Run Elementa-ry School

Evan Johnson of Great Falls, Grade 4, Colvin Run Ele-mentary School

Iris Xie of Vienna, Grade 5;Colvin Run Elementary School

Fay Amirullah of Vienna, Grade 6, Colvin Run Ele-mentary School


Family HikesThe coronavirus has changed the way we do things

dramatically, forcing a quarantine in many areas, which can lead to unexpected traditions. In the early spring and well into the summer my family had been cooped up in the house and it was driving us all crazy, so we started to do things to remedy that.

For example, my mother, brother, and I took long hikes in the woods behind our home. It was so beauti-ful and serene, with the flourishing trees swaying gen-tly as we walked down the well-trodden trails, and there was practically no one else out there.

I distinctly remember one occasion when we stum-bled down a hidden and somewhat treacherous path

leading up a rocky incline. Boulders jutted out from the side and brambles clambered over each other to reach onto the trees above, giving us an uncomfort-able but energizing trek. We then turned a corner which led to an awe-inspiring and magnificent vista soaring above the Potomac river far below.

There was a small bench there, so we all took a mo-ment to stop and savor the view. It was an unforgetta-ble experience that was very tranquil and refreshing, especially after being stuck up indoors for a while.

— Dylan Love Thomas, 13, Grade 7, Cooper Middle

Vienna Elementary SchoolArtwork submitted by Vienna Elementary School

Art Teacher Katie Aiken

We All Bleed the Same, by Habeeba Kassem, Age 12, Grade 8, Langston Hughes Middle School, Reston, Teacher: Mary Dolmat


“Local Land-scape” by Char-lotte Melchior, Age: 8, Grade: 2, Vienna ES

“A Dot Could be a Monster” by David Kharitonashvili, Age: 12, Grade: 6, Vienna ES

“Peter Pan and Tinkerbell” by Caitie Pendleton, Age: 11, Grade: 6th, Vienna ES

Two Snowmen on Pond, by Aanya Bhatia, Grade 3, Lemon Road Elementary, Art Teach-er Cheryl Bearss

Snowman flying, by Mary Bareis, Grade 3, Lemon Road Ele-mentary School Art Teacher Cheryl Bearss

Scarecrow, by Aadith Eadhara, Grade 3, Lemon Road Elementa-ry, Art Teacher Cheryl Bearss

A Snowman with a Tree, by Aarad-hya Menon, Grade 3, Lemon Road Elementary School Art Teacher Cheryl Bearss

Lemon Road Elementary


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Announcements Announcements

Announcements Announcements

TYSONS CORNER CENTER HOL-IDAY PLANSSanta Is Back (Now through Dec. 24).

Careful consideration has been giv-en to the Santa set to ensure that they are both healthy and magical to meet the moment. Santa will be seated a distance from his guests to maintain a healthful distance, with a physical barrier to prevent young guests from trying to sit on Santa’s lap. Santa and his young visitors will wear masks and maintain a healthful distance, in a contactless visit and photo experience fully re-designed to meet the moment.

Grinch’s Grotto (Now thru Dec. 31). Located on Level 2 next to A Christmas to Remember. Guests will meet The Grinch and interact with him right in his cave, as well as pose for a photo. Admission includes a free 6x8” printed photo with a playful Grinch catchphrase. With over 20 sayings to choose from, guests can customize their own Grinch holiday memory. Ad-mission also gets you a collectible Grinch ornament. Each ticket allows admission for up to 5 guests to meet the Grinch as a group. This ticket secures your individual time to meet the Grinch and experience his cave. Social distancing and mask usage will be in accordance with local and mall regulations.

NOW THRU THE HOLIDAYSSanta at Springfield Town Center.

Santa and his reindeer have ar-rived at Springfield Town Center to kick-off the holiday season. In an effort to create touchless experi-ences and accommodate varying levels of visitor comfort, Santa will be available at Springfield Town Center via numerous experiences and offerings: Picture with Santa; Virtual Experience; Family Pet Pho-tos on Mondays; Family Photos and Visits with Santa. Reservations are required for all Santa and photo offerings.

DEC. 18 TO JAN. 4Naturescape Narratives: Chinese

Brushpainting. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. At Reston Community Center Hunters Woods, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. Offering a break from the pandemic, 67 brushpaintings by Tracie Griffith Tso are on exhibit at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods through January 4 offering a 6.000-year-old Chinese artform in a nature-based display.

DEC. 20-30A Winter Star. Encore Stage & Studio

is making spirits bright this season by offering a unique theatrical experience outdoors in the comfort of your car in the parking lot of Temple Rodef Shalom (2100 Westmoreland St., Falls Church). Performances dates are December 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, and 30. Showtimes begin every 15 minutes between 11 a..m – 1 p.m.; and 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. All entry tickets must be purchased in advance. Entry tickets are Pay-What-You-Can donations, starting at $5. Ticket proceeds from A Winter Star will be donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center and Encore’s Theatre for All! Fund which pro-vides scholarships and outreach programs. Tickets are available online at www.encorestage.org. To learn more, visit www.templerodef-shalom.org.

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By KENNETH B. LOURIE

Having recently returned from a driving sojourn through the south with stops and stays in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida visiting four sets of friends in those three states, I can say with certainty that wearing masks, social distancing and common sense consideration for your fellow citizen were not nearly so accepted as we had hoped. Though we didn’t exactly min-gle with the masses, we were, nonetheless, in unchartered territory. As such, my wife and I will be getting covid tests after a week or so of being at home. Though still symptom free, it seems prudent under the very unique circumstances in which the world finds itself that we not wait too much longer. Time is very likely of the essence.

As a precaution - and courtesy to our south-ern hosts, we both got tested before our trip and with negative results, off we drove with one less concern. Now we could say with certainty that we had acted respectfully and with other peo-ple’s prospective health in mind. Nevertheless, it was hardly a guarantee that we would remain covid free. After all, it was only a test. It was not an inoculation. Speaking of which, as a cancer patient with a compromised immune system, I imagine I’m likely to get my two shots sooner rather than later. But what about my wife, Dina. She raised an interesting question. Though she’s not in any of the categories of early shot recipi-ents, she is however living with someone who is: me. Moreover, I don’t suppose it would be to my advantage living in the same household/sleep-ing in the same bed/caring for a covid-positive person: my wife, even after receiving my shot. Data for that situation likely doesn’t exist yet. I don’t imagine it’s akin to playing with fire - for me, more likely like playing with embers. Still, there seems to exista risk, perhaps one that’s been considered in the hierarchy/schedule of “inoculees.” In summary, will family members of high-risk covid 19 recipients receive their vaccinations earlier on in the schedule than they might otherwise have been eligible? Or is the de-mand too great, given the worldwide pandemic, which I imagine it is.

If the plan is to minimize the risk for those most at risk, how do you accomplish that while leaving those closest (literally and figuratively) to them unprotected? I’m not asking for special treatment or dispensation from the Pope (has he gotten his shot?), I’m just wondering. Granted, there’s not an unlimited supply - on or off the shelves, of vaccines, but there does seem to be nearly unlimited numbers of people who need to be vaccinated to accomplish a sort of world-wide herd-type immunity. That being said, if other people living in the home of an individual qualified/fortunate to receive a shot or two, are not inoculated as well, will it in fact enable the virus to move on, so to speak and find some other host susceptible enough to keep the virus straining? Will the proximity of other non-inocu-lated people defeat the purpose of getting the tier ones and twos inoculated? (I sound like Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) from “Sex and the CIty” sounding out one of her columns.)

I don’t mean to be paranoid; I’m just won-dering/theorizing if my fear is at all founded in reality or am I just cruising for a verbal bruising? I’m also curious if there’s any discretion in the recipient process. Presumably, there are lots of circumstances/patients like me where the cancer patients’ health and welfare - to varying degrees, are dependent on the health of people (family, friends or caregivers) entrusted to care for them. Giving the vaccine to the patient but denying it for the people responsible for their wellbeing seems counterproductive - or short sighted. I may very well be inoculated against covid in the not too distant future, but if I don’t receive the care and feeding I need, I may survive covid but still die from my underlying disease: cancer. I understand there’s no perfect solution at present. But it’s the future I’m worried about.

Trip, and HopefullyNot a Fall

Kent Gardens Elementary

Bickering Campers, by Kyler Liang, Age: 9. School: Kent Gardens Elementary, McLean, Teacher: Ms. Sui

Cabbage Tree House, by Kyler Liang, Age: 9,School: Kent Gardens Elementary, McLean, Teacher: Ms. Sui

Zac & Zoe Artwork

Snow Day, by Zoe Lee, 8, of McLean, Grade 3, homeschooled

Under The Sea, by Zac Lee of McLean, Age: 7, Grade 2, homeschooled


Documents

Children’s & Teens’ Connection 2020connectionarchives.com/PDF/2020/122320/Great Falls.pdfConnectionespapersco Great Falls Connection v April 8-14, 2020 v 3Children’s & Teens’